


Would you be ashamed?

by LadyBlackwings



Series: 10 years too late? [7]
Category: BnHA, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Coworkers - Freeform, F/M, Friendship, Support, Talking, breakdown - Freeform, hopeful, hug, loving, playful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 23:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15376179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBlackwings/pseuds/LadyBlackwings
Summary: After sitting in almost silence since the brainwashing event drained Grizel her thoughts and emotion begin coming to the surface. Can two of the top ten heroes save a co-worker for her own broken heart or will they lose another hero?





	Would you be ashamed?

All Might, in costume, and Grizel, in civilian clothes, are waiting on a rooftop. All Might is waiting and Grizel is mostly pacing. She has not been out of the house since the brainwashing incident and even walking around this long could be tasking for her. But she kept insisting on a meeting with Edgeshot till finally All Might gave in and said he would take her. Her hair is about half wrap around her arms and shoulders while the rest follows behind her like a tail as she paces. “You don’t have to do this so soon. I’m sure he would understand if you wanted to reschedule,” All Might suggests. 

Grizel turns around. “No. I want to do this now. It feels wrong to wait any longer to say thank you,” Grizel replies. 

“There is no need to thank me. My actions barely amounted to much compared to either of yours’,” Edgeshot says as he slips on to the rooftop. His initial voice causes both All Might and Grizel to raise their hands but by the time he is finish they have relaxed. All Might moves a little closer to her though. 

“Each encounter is about doing what we can when possible. I appreciate how you helped me that day,” Grizel chimes back in with a soft smile. 

“You are most welcome. It is good to see you up and about. After the press’s comments regarding your injuries I was concerned,” Edgeshot comments as he watches the pair move. Grizel is almost in the center but All Might is clearly shadowing her movements. 

Grizel moves her blouse sleeve to reveal some bandages. “I still have a bit to deal with in terms of a complete recovery,” Grizel begins. Edgeshot notices her bandage had small spots of blood on it and recalls her pacing he caught before revealing himself seemed to lag on one side. “This was something I needed to do; especially after the damage done at my hand,” Grizel ends in the weakest tone she has used yet. Her fingers trace over the bandages.

Edgeshot puts his hand on top of Grizel’s hand. “Do not allow the falsehoods of villainy to corrupt your soul. The impenetrable Iron Wall was a truly impressive skill; which I can see why our number one hero boosted about and teased much more,” Edgeshot says while motioning with his eye towards All Might. Grizel glances over her shoulder causing All Might to turn his head. “I look forward to the day when we stand side by side, the undaunted spirit of your Iron Will is,” Edgeshot continues his admiration. 

“Breaking,” Grizel interjects. All Might turns back to the pair. Grizel slips her hand away from Edgeshot. “That was part of why I asked to meet with you. I wanted to thank you while I was still a hero. Because I’m not sure that is a path I can follow anymore,” Grizel explains. 

Edgeshot stops. This is nowhere in the concept of what he thought might come up when he got the request to speak with Iron Maiden. He glances over her shoulder to see that All Might’s smile has lost its edge and his shoulders have dropped. This was not what he was expecting either. But when he looks at Grizel’s eyes he could see the tempest in her. “Even the mightiest tree must bend if it wishes to grow,” Edgeshot tries to encourage.

“ ‘Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.’ And I will not be a deterrent for a heroic cause,” Grizel rebuts quickly.

Edgeshot glances over the scene again. He takes a step back and slightly bows. “I understand but please let me know of your final decision. I do not wish to find out from the press what path you choose AFTER your recovery,” Edgeshot strains. 

“All right,” Grizel acknowledges. Edgeshot disappears as quickly as he appeared on the rooftop. 

Grizel turns around. She has not looked at All Might expect for once during the exchange. Instead of being greeted with his heroic smile or even the warm concern he has been showing since they left the apartment his face is almost blank. It is as though every thought in his mind is gone and something horrible is replacing it. She calls his name a couple times to no answer. “All Might!” Grizel shouts as she grabs his arm. 

“Huh?” finally a noise comes out of All Might. He looks down at the woman in front of him. She is everything he remembers but now a word is finally coming to mind. Every since she came home things seem to drifting further and further away. She is shattering. 

“Its time to go back,” Grizel says. 

“Right,” All Might says as he picks her and began back to the apartment. This time All Might is looking at her and Grizel is the one looking away on the jumps. He knew the way now and has trouble trying to get Grizel to turn her gaze. Talking, flexing, and even turning in the air to get her attention; each action fails though. All Might does not like failing. The thought that a fellow hero might not return to action is bad enough but to find out that the hero who called him a partner and teammate felt this way causes his chest to tighten. 

All Might’s body goes through the motions of getting back into the apartment on its own as his mind continues to torment itself. Finally he carries Grizel through the door, slightly to her surprise, but this time he just kicks the door shut; almost off its hinges. His grip on her is as tight as she expects with how he flew back. The sound from the door startles her into a ball in his arms. When she finally unwound enough to question his actions she stops for a moment. He is staring straight ahead, furrowed brow, his eyes are beginning to waver like an ocean tide, and the corner of his mouth is beginning to twitch. “Do you really feel that way?” is almost drilled out among pounding teeth as All Might’s shoulders come up with his rising tension. 

“What?” Grizel mutters mostly out of confusion for what just happened in the last few moments and the amount of face behind his question. 

All Might turns his gaze directly on what feels like the small woman in his arms. Even if it he means it with all the concern in the world his eyes feel like the weight of the ocean just fell on her. “Do you believe you can’t be a hero anymore?” All Might asks the question differently this time. 

Grizel catches her breath and tightens her grip on the part of his costume that is in her hand. The green eyes that are as inviting as a field of green on a spring day now showed scarred passion. “Would you be ashamed of me if I said yes?” Grizel asks with blatant honesty. 

All Might leans back. Her honesty sends the answer straight through to his heart. She is like him in a way, usually plays around with comments or tease responses, but when she is intent she is absolutely magnetic. That spark is one thing that always draws him back and pulls something out of him. “Never; since the day I met you and held you in my arms have I ever even considered using the word ashamed to describe anything related to you,” All Might declares. Grizel’s gaze turns away at his resounding answer. He lifts his arms up so she is at eye level with him. “And I will not be ashamed of how you choose to live because I am happy that you are here,” All Might says with a warm smile growing on his face. 

Grizel tries to look down as she feels her face getting warmer. Her thoughts are derailed though when she feels something warmer pressing against her forehead. All Might places a chaste kiss on her forehead before resting his nose on her hairline. A tear runs down Grizel’s cheek. “No,” is the weakest sound Grizel ever mutters as she pushes on All Might’s chest. Her hair grabs a pillar and helps rip her from his arms. 

“I know we should talk about our relationship, what the press might be saying, or how we will handle anything from here on out but right now I’m,” Grizel tries to state. Her sentence breaks as she tries to fish the right words out of her mind. Her fingers begin trembling. “I’m just not sure about so much,” Grizel manages to confess as her hand grabs the refrigerator door handle. 

All Might releases a light breathe. ‘You seem to have forgotten that I know you Grizel, even if you still surprise me. I know a lot is still going through your mind. And if you bring something up that means you already have an opinion don’t you?’ Toshinori thinks to himself as he watches Grizel’s movements. ‘Guess I have an answer on that too; but right now, what’s truly important,’ Toshinori thinks as he releases his hero form. His costume is now draping from every aspect of him as he moves behind Grizel. Toshinori places his hand on top of Grizel’s hand on the handle. “Grizel it is all right to be afraid. No one would blame you for being afraid after everything that has happened. But if you stop now,” Toshinori begins.

“It’s not that!” Grizel shouts as her hand almost crushes the handle. Her hair flew up for a moment as her head snaps back. The doors and drawers seem to almost in reaction to it. She releases a deep sigh as her shoulders drop enough that her hair follows suit. “I know no hero worth their salt would blame me for stopping now. The injuries and event itself were enough to mess so many people up for keeps. But,” Grizel stops again. She begins thinking as her eyes look over the fact that Toshinori’s hand is still on her hand. “It is true. I am afraid that it could happen again and that something is still wrong with me since the doctors can’t figure out the effects of that poison quirk they used on me. Those feelings though, I understand them and that coming to terms with them is part of healing from what happened,” Grizel begins. She stops as her hand tries to move on the handle. 

“There is truth to what you say but,” Toshinori tries to interject. ‘She’s has so much passion and fire inside, for her to admit that she’s afraid,’ Toshinori thinks to himself as he begins thinking of best way to help renew her.

“But how can I expect to rescue anyone with this much discourse in me!” Grizel screams as she turns to face Toshinori. He takes a step back. Her eyes twitch as her brows come together and tears are coming down her cheeks. “I used these powers and this body against the very people I am supposed to fight with! The very concept of defending those in need was warped and used for sadistic joy. I betrayed my own goals and ideals!” Grizel shouts a continued glare. She does not blink the entire time. Her hands are tight enough as fist that when she finally releases them marks are on inside her palms are tempting blood. She turns back around towards the refrigerator. “How can I ask someone else to trust me with their heart when I don’t even trust my own?” Grizel almost mutters. 

Toshinori erupts into All Might. He places his hands on her shoulders and comes as close behind her as possible. He bends only slightly so his head is closer but not lying on top of Grizel’s head. “Grizel, I am very proud of you and the progress you’ve made. You are a wonderful hero and an incredible person,” All Might begins in a soft but reassuring tone. 

“How could YOU be proud of me?” is asks in a bitterly mutter tone that barely escapes Grizel.

‘How could I not be proud of the woman who wouldn’t look away from me, even when I changed into that,’ All Might thinks to himself as he imagines her face after every surgery. But he could tell his words are not having the effect he wants as her hair begins wrapping tighter around her. His thumbs begin massaging her shoulders. “The Iron Wall defense was harder than I ever remembered it being,” All Might tries to boast. She had showed him, and the world, tremendous progress with her skills since last time the news caught her.

It is having the opposite effect though as Grizel’s hair continues to tighten. He bumps his chest against her back for a moment to hopefully break her train of thought. “I could tell by how you were acting that you weren’t there. That villain told you to defend and that is the limit of what you did. You only shielded him. If you had really been in that fight you would have tried to neutralize us or send us as far away as possible,” All Might tries to explain. He has fought beside her for years. He knows her actions and how she prefers to handle most fights; though he is having trouble explaining his point in a consoling fashion as her head drops. He drapes his arms in front of her making an X and almost wedging her head up in his muscles. “They may have controlled your body but your heart and soul were NOT in that fight. That is why I knew if I could reach you, you’d break their control in an instant. Because nothing stops the Iron Maiden from holding onto what is important,” All Might ends with the confidence he normally save for when he is on a rescue scene. He feels Grizel’s hair stop moving. He lowers his head. “Maybe I can learn a lesson from that,” he adds softly but no less confidently. She leans her head back just enough that All Might can make out the lines where tears had run. His arms tightened a little at the sight. He leans down and gave a light kiss to her forehead. Only after taking in her scent for a few moments does he stand back up again. 

All Might’s hands come back up to hug Grizel around the shoulders. “You never betrayed your ideals, Grizel. Iron Maiden stood strong as a true Shield of Justice,” All Might encourages and gives a new nickname. He hears a soft snort at the comment which causes him to grin. “You did incredible redirecting all of the attacks we used. So well that it actually made me do a full attack to get you to stand still long enough for an opening,” he continues. He feels her wiggle against him. “Don’t laugh! I felt bad when I had to actually attack,” All Might almost pouts. One hand comes up, traces gently around Grizel’s cheek, and begins brushing over her hairline. 

Grizel leans into his hand as her eyes close. Her weight shifts mostly back towards All Might. Her fingers eventually found their way to the arm he left draped over her shoulders. She had no trouble outlining every muscle, even under his costume and with her eyes closed. “Thank you, Sunshine,” Grizel finally breaks the silence to say. 

All Might’s cheeks immediately feel flush as he feels a resounding pound in his chest. Sure that is her nickname for him but it always seems to come up at the moments that feel epic to him. His hands shoot to her waistline and before Grizel can blink he almost tosses her up in air, spins her around, and rests her on his arm with her legs pinned against his chest. His free hand grabs her waist as her hands catch his shoulders in surprise. Surprise is also written on her face as she locks eyes with All Might again. Her hair begins moving around but while she seems to begin relaxing a little she still is not smiling. 

One of Grizel’s hands move up to his face. Her finger began tracing each feature down his face before coming back up and stroking his hairline. All Might naturally leans into the warmth of her rhythmic touch. “You have a plan brewing in there?” Grizel asks in a soft tone.

All Might smiles as his arm engulf her back. “Yep! You are going to tell where and how you learned those incredible new techniques you did,” All Might almost cheers like an eager fanboy. 

Grizel’s hand covers her mouth as a slight blush begins appearing on her face. “All Might,” Grizel almost sings in disbelief. 

The booming laughing roars into the air as the exciting energy fills All Might. He bounces Grizel on his arm as he begins walking towards the couch. “Come on now, I want to hear stories!” All Might is almost singing as he makes his way. It only makes him more excited as he hears Grizel continue her half hearted protest. All Might sits on the couch, rests Grizel in his lap, and he begins stroking her cheek. ‘One talk won’t fix everything but maybe we can start again,’ All Might thinks as he looks into the emerald eyes that almost escaped him. ‘Maybe tonight I’ll finally be able to hold onto you,’ All Might thinks as he leans forward. His forehead touches Grizel’s forehead causing her to stir a little in his lap. He gives a soft grin to the response as he ran nose up the side of her nose and down the other taking bits of her scent in along the way. When he returns to resting his forehead against her’s his thumb return to massaging the edge of her hair line. He watches as her eyes close and feels her head lean into the actions. A sensation catches his attention; her hand reaches out to his free hand. Her fingers slide down his digits till they dance along the lines on his palm. When her hand lays across his he closes it gently; than shortly after her other hand rests on top of his closed hand. Working together her hands guide his closer to her almost allowing her wrap herself around it while he wraps around her. He watches her eyes open slowly before her head drifts up; she brushes her nose against his. “Talk with me?” comes out of All Might in such a quiet tone only the room of almost complete silence would have been able to even acknowledge it. But even in the hidden quiet the gentleness of the giant hero is exposed.

“Ok.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just one more chapter left. It is time for - The Talk.
> 
> My friend nicknamed this the Split up Saga. I think I might torment these two a bit much. XD Because if you think All Might's heart has been put through the ringer up until now, next chapter is going to be interest.


End file.
